Bill Nelson

It's quite often talked about, regularly heralded as a must have and more often than not, it seems hard to come by.

Some people have it. Others are training to get it. Most want it. People watch results go out the window because they don't have it.

But what is this magical power to which I allude?

Dictionaries describe it one way, Google searches another. Numerous blog posts highlight specific examples. Coaches give perspective of it's place and benefit. Psychologists describe it's necessity, it's development and it's worth.

If we spoke to numerous others, we will get a hundred different insights to what it is, how it has been used, or who is the perfect example of what it looks like in action.

But what is mental toughness?

For me... It's all about the ability to stay on point, to not lose focus and to get the job done as you deal with any and all sorts of distractions.

Therefore I don't think it is a sports specific skill, but it can and will be used by sportspeople everywhere. It's not an adult based technique but in many everyday situations, you will see adults draw on their mental toughness so as to deal with all type of situations.

It's not just an approach for teenagers either, but that won't stop you from seeing teenagers everywhere calling on their mental toughness to help deal with the demands of the day to day.

So I guess I am saying, mental toughness is a skill that can be used by anyone, at anytime and for all sorts of different reasons.

But what are some of the situations mental toughness will help you deal with?

• Expectation
• Procrastination
• Competition
• Standards
• Accountability

So now we have a bit of an idea of just some of the 1001 uses for mental toughness, but how do we develop the mental toughness to deal with them?

1. Build skill, momentum, confidence around mental toughness through practising it daily.

2. Work in or create small situations or opportunities to begin with that demand a bit of mental toughness and then build on the size, intensity and importance.

3. As you start putting yourself in situations where you need to be mentally tough, realise that mental toughness doesn't require you to focus on the end result, just on the steps you need to go through to get that end result.

4. Realise that you won't have all the necessary skill and ability to start with, so don't try to reinvent the wheel. Call on the experience, insight and skill of others and learn from them.

5. Take the time and make the effort to recognise and understand the progress, the skill and the ability you are developing and successfully using.

6. The skill of mental toughness is like any other. It takes time to develop, so be patient.

7. And remember, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

8. The true test of mental toughness is that when it doesn't work the first time, the second time or even the tenth time......

The Journey Continues!